by Lewis Dyson

Jessica Blake was all smiles as she celebrated her fifth birthday – just seven weeks after a theme park fall left her fighting for her life.

Jessica, who turned five on Wednesday, is laughing and joking again as she continues to make an impressive recovery. She fell 14ft while queueing for a ride at Chessington World of Adventures in Surrey.

Jessica, who is known as JC for her first names Jessica and Claire, suffered a fractured skull, a bleed on the brain and broken ribs but dad Darren Blake, who lives in Rainham, said his daughter is nearly back to her old self.

The youngster has made vast strides on the road to recovery, although she still needs physiotherapy to help with her left leg.

Her father said doctors are not ruling out damage to the brain as the cause of her walking problems.

Darren, 35, an HGV driver, said: "It’s been terrible but she is getting better and better.

"It just makes you smile and I can’t believe just how quickly she has bounced back.

"Jessica is a little upset and frustrated she can’t run around like she used to at the moment, but apart from that she is giggling and laughing and joking so I can’t moan at the end of the day at all."

Jessica, who is now recovering at her home in Halfway, Sheppey, where she lives with mum Sarah, will be celebrating her birthday with family and friends at a party today (Friday) at Sheppey Sports and Social Club.

She will return to St George’s Hospital, Tooting, south London, in a couple of months and is hoping to return to school in September.

Her dad said: "She will be going back but she won’t be doing full days, she gets tired too quickly. The school have been really good and set up a plan, probably for the first month, to see how she copes."

Jessica joined a special Disney-themed concert at the Royal Clarendon Hotel in Gravesend on Sunday which raised more than £4,500.

The money will go towards the physiotherapy she needs and a holiday, with the destination to be decided. The show was organised by Jessica’s great aunt Tina Taylor.

Darren added: "It was amazing how many people pulled together."

An HSE investigation into the accident is continuing.